Linda Lewis at Creative Artworks! sent me a lovely collection of handmade holiday things! Linda is a true artist and takes great joy in personalizing and "upgrading" some everyday items. I was dazzled and delighted as I pulled each beautiful object out of the box she sent me. Who wouldn't be flattered to find a personalized ornament with their name on it!

And on the back, the year -

A true keepsake to be cherished!

I also love this mosaic stocking ornament! Or you could use it as a cool gift tag!

Linda turned this simple bar of Jergens soap into something special by handpainting a Christmas tree on it. What a nice accent for the guest bathroom! Would also make great stocking stuffers, nice little thank-you gifts, and terrific hostess gifts!

And I just love love love this hand-decorated journal!

Linda painted both sides of the sturdy cover with midnight blue and gold paint, and added a wooden tree, which is also handpainted and decorated. Love it!!

Also love the journal itself. It is spiral-bound with lined blank pages, separated every so often with manilla-stock pockets for notes, cards, etc. This would be great for Christmas card addresses or gift lists, with plenty of room for notes about hobbies, sizes, etc.

If you love all these things like I do, then your eyes will bug out when you see the plethora of goodies available from Linda's website called Creative Artworks! Linda can do it all, and she does it beautifully. If you love giving (and getting!) handmade things, then I strongly recommend checking out Creative Artworks! Not only the art of Linda Lewis but several other artists as well. There's definitely something for everyone!

Linda sent me an email just as I was writing this post to tell me about some new items she's just listed. Check out these gorgeous gourd ornaments!

Creative Artworks! isn't just a spotlight for Linda's work. She also features the work of several other artists as well. Check out her blog here. If you are an artist interested in listing your items with Linda, you can contact her at linda@creativeartworks.cc

My sister and I were talking the other day, and the subject of handmade or hand-decorated gifts and decorations came up. She feels the same way I do: Handmade things are cherished for the very fact that they are handmade. It's a crying shame but a simple truth that not everyone appreciates handmade. Some people look at handmade things and think "somebody made that!" as in, it didn't come mass-manufactured from a store so it can't possibly be worth anything!

My sister and I, on the other hand, look at handmade things and think "somebody made that!" as in, it didn't come mass-manufactured from a store so it is priceless!

Which group do you fall into?

I hope it's the latter, because Linda Lewis is offering one of my lucky readers some handmade Christmas keepsakes! Woo-hoo! Another great giveaway!!

Here's what you could win:

the white birdhouse ornament on the left

this beautiful handmade greeting card

and this handpainted bar of soap

Your holiday will be merry and bright with these handmade lovelies! Thank you, Linda, for your generosity toward my readers!

NOTE: Linda just let me know that she posted about me on her blog. Wow!! Linda, thank you so much for your kind words! I don't deserve such accolades. What I do is nothing special. I just love finding new products and telling my blog readers about them, because I believe that most people would rather hear from a "real person" about a product than just some "advertising hype". :)

If you have something you want reviewed, just email me at tnshadylady at gmail.com and I'll be happy to discuss it with you. I also enjoy hosting giveaways, because as Linda stated this gets my visitors more interested and they are more likely to engage with your website. So don't be shy... Contact me and we'll go from there. I must add, however, that I do not accept all requests. I have to honestly believe in a product before I will promote it on my blog. My readers expect nothing but honesty from me, and that's what I give them.

~~GIVEAWAY~~

Creative Artworks! is giving one lucky Shady Lady reader a white birdhouse handpainted ornament, a handpainted bar of soap, and a handmade Christmas tree greeting card! Lucky you!! As per Linda Lewis, who will be mailing these goodies to the winner, this giveaway is open to continental US residents only please.

Giveaway ends midnight CST Wednesday December 15. Hopefully that will still be plenty of time to get your holiday goodies to you by Christmas. But hurry!!

Entering is easy. Please do the mandatory first step before doing the extra entries. Winner will be determined by using Random.org. Entries will be verified before winner is contacted, so please make sure you use the same username, name, and/or email address for each entry, or tell me how to identify you. And PLEASE leave an email address in your comment if it is not publicly visible on your blog! Thank you for adhering to these giveaway rules.

~~Mandatory~~

Tell me why you love handmade things! You don't have to be a follower, you don't have to be a Facebook friend, no hoops to jump through, just leave a comment telling me why you want to win these handmade goodies. Easy!

Visit Linda's handmade goodies and tell me what you like about Linda's art or what would make a great gift for someone you know and why. Linda would love to hear your thoughts and I can guarantee she'll read your comments. :)

Subscribe to my email updates and/or rss feed. (see sidebar) Tell me what email address and/or reader you use. Get an extra entry for each one, so leave separate comments if you do both.

FIVE ENTRIES - Help me spread the word! Post this giveaway on your own blog or giveaway site or linky. Leave me a link so I can verify. Be sure to leave five separate comments.

Giveaway closes midnight CST Wednesday December 15, 2010. Giveaway open to US residents only. Winner will be chosen by Random.org and notified by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond, or another winner will be chosen.

Remember to leave separate comments for each method of entry!

Disclaimer: I was provided samples from Creative Artworks! gratis in exchange for providing an unbiased review of the products. (Thanks Linda!) No other monetary consideration was involved, and my review was not influenced in any way.

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comments:

I love handmade things because they are one of a kind original pieces, lovingly created, made, and thought about by a lovely person. I won in a giveaway a handmade tote bag, and every time I use it I am reminded of the care that went into making it.jhbalvin at gmail dot com